Monday, May 23, 2016

To keep the Sabbath Day Holy...We got to see Lorna & Carl Coombs, and Kori for a few minutes today. We really enjoyed our long visit with them last evening.

We went to our 3-hour block of Church from 10:50 to 1:50, then we had a quick snack and nap before we taught our Temple Preparation Class from 4:30 to 6:00.

This was lesson #6 which is the last lesson in the series. Lesson #7 is given after the person receives his or her endowment in the temple.

Then we had our Sunday roast beef dinner. At our age, once we cook a roast, we can freeze enough roast for several roast beef dinners on several Sundays. And that's what we had today.

Sunday evening we went to visit Kent Tilley.

May 23, 2016 - Monday - FHE

This morning Walt had his physical therapy appointment #2 in this new series that Dr. Crane has him doing for his back.

He gave Walt some choices of where to go do this and Walt has chosen the Cassia Regional Medical Center again. This is where he also did the P.T. after his hip replacement last March of 2015.

I went to Smith's to get some fruit to serve tonight at the FHE at Bloxhams. When I got back to the hospital I was at the Registration Desk having them figure out a hospital bill for some of my diabetic counseling that we and they thought should be covered by our Medicare and Medicare supplement insurance from Mutual of Omaha.

Walt came over, out of breath, as he sat down and said: "They really worked me today." When we got home, he laid down for a while because he was so worn out.

While he was lying down, he got a call from Dave Gibbons to come to the hospital and help with a Priesthood Blessing for Dan Black, who had just gone to the hospital and been diagnosed with pneumonia.

I was working on our blog and almost got it caught up.

Walt said Dan will be in the hospital a few days and then should be able to return to his home. We are praying for his recovery.

We had a fun time at our monthy Empty Nesters' Neighborhood Family Home Evening at Bloxhams tonight.

They had told us it was going to be a "camping out dinner indoors."

The Bloxhams served hot, tasty foil dinners. The Fronks brought very pretty and yummy hors d'oeuvres*, the Gibbons brought hot, homemade rolls and they made the tossed salad that Dan was going to bring. Petersens brought fresh fruit--cantalope, watermelon, and kiwi. Then Gary McCall (Colleen is in Texas helping with a new grandson) brought a cake, and Hansens brought a hot rhubarb cobbler, then topped with ice cream. Everything was delicious!

[*hors d'oeuvre

ôr ˈdərv plural noun:hors d'oeuvres

a small savory dish, typically one served as an appetizer at the beginning of a meal.]

The lesson was a fun scattergories-type game which got our brains to working.

Fun plaques...

What gracious hosts Scott and G'lenn are. They gave each couple a set of pansies.

May 24, 2016 - Tuesday What a Serendipity we had today when Elder Gary and Sister Judith Coleman stopped in to see us. He was in the South Mexico Area Presidency in 1995 and 1996 when Walt was the mission president of the Mexico Merida Mission.Walt was surprised that they even remembered that we lived in Burley. Sister Coleman was born at the Cottage Hospital in Burley, but then her family moved. Vaughn Egan is her cousin.

They did the first mission tour with us. They were so helpful to us and we love them dearly. He told us that even though he is emeritus now, they still have him doing some assignments. Recently he was asked to go to Merida to help open a school--I think it was.

We went to see Dan Black. He thinks Dr. Spackman is going to keep him in the hospital with this pneumonia for about four days. Dan said he's feeling a lot better today.

Walt went to get a haircut at Bob's, but a sign said: "Closed because of knee problems." So he went to Dilworth's.

We visited our neighbor who is working in a beautiful log cabin quilt.

Then Walt watered the lawn. The wild, yellow roses remind me of the ones Grama Huffaker always had by their home.

May 25, 2016 - Wednesday

This is our 41st temple session with Dale and Connie.

We enjoy going to the temple with them. It's a great tradition. Dale chose to go to The Outback for dinner.

May 26, 2016 - Thursday

We drove to Utah this morning for Walt's annual heart check up by Dr. John Doty. He is very pleased with how well Walt's heart is doing.

After the check up, Dr. Doty said: "See you next year."

Janice met us at the Intermountain Health Care Center and took us to lunch at the Sizzler on 90th South and State Street.She lives in Midvale.

When we got to Julie & John's in Saratoga Springs, Julie showed us their pumpkin patch out back that they planted for FHE this week.

We had a yummy supper...homemade hamburgers and corn on the cob.d

Here's the rest of the family...

May 27, 2016 - Friday

Steve picked us up to have a Kneader's French Toast breakfast.

How fun to be with Steve, Kimble and Carter, on the boys last

day of school...which they skipped.

Just then Julie drove by with Rigdon and Max...

In the blink of an eye it was time to pick up Jackson and Maddie from school . . . Jacee had painted on the van windows.... "Summer Vacation has begun!!" ...and Julie honked her horn as they entered with entrance into their residential area. Jackson and Maddie got to ride in the back with their feet hanging out.

Then the neighborhood kids were invited over for the traditional last-day-of-school root beer floats and water balloon fight.

We met Gary, McKell, Abbey, Jacob, and Isaac at the Utah Valley Hospital to go visit Kathy after her Wednesday surgery.

Kathy was feeling somewhat better today.

Then Gary took the kids and us to lunch at Pizza Pie Café.

Then we drove to Gary's apartment after he got off work, and he drove us to Burley.

In northern Utah we passed a 1957 Chevy. I took this photo for Jeff.

When we got home Gary showed all the things a smart phone can do that would be easier than the "basic" cell phone Walt has.

May 28, 2016 - Saturday

Gary drove us to the Wendell Cemetery, the Hagerman Cemetery, to Gooding for a picnic with my sister Janice, and her son Michael, his wife Candace, and their three darling children...

We put flowers on 51 graves at these three cemeteries....

We couldn't have done it without Gary...

Here's Janice with her son Michael at Mom & Dad's grave....

Michael and Candace and Justin, Ryan, and Kate at our picnic at the Gooding park...

All together...

Oh, here I am with them...

IT WAS A GREAT DAY BEING WITH FAMILY TO HONOR OUR LOVED ONES WHO ARE LIVING IN HEAVEN!

And we were delighted that we got back to Burley in time to go see our friend, Joe Lambert, whose family was hosting his 100th Birthday Open House.

We were lucky that the Open House went an hour past the 2:00 to 4:00 time frame. Joe & Elva had 2 sons and 7 daughters.

What a milestone to live 100 years!

Leonard and Debra Beck's daughter, Chelsey, who is Joe's granddaughter-in-law, had invited us to come. Her parents are on a mission in Minnesota.

That early evening Gary drove us to Albion to put flowers on my Dad's Albertson family graves . . . Charles Albertson, my Dad's grandfather who fought in the Civil War is buried there beside his wife, Mary Ann Hepworth, beside a daughter Mary Jane and a son Thomas.The names of dau Mary Jane and son Thomas are engraved on the headstone of Charles Albertson.

This is the headstone of Mary Ann Hepworth which is next to the above headstone. Born 1 Jan 1854 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Died 20 Feb 1892 at age 38 and buried in the Albion Cemetery.

This is the headstone of Joseph Hepworth, which I mistakenly assumed was the father of Mary Ann Hepworth, but is Mary Ann's brother born 22 May 1870 in Salt Lake City, Utah, and died Dec 31, 1932. He was buried the first week of January 1933 in the Albion Cemetery.I wonder if he married one of his Albertson Uncle's sisters and lived in Albion?

This headstone of Joseph Hepworth does not stand upright but low to the ground so that you see the lettering as you look down upon it. This is how it looked after Gary put the Snow Ball flowers and Iris by it. It's behind a to the right of Mary Ann's grave.

Also, my Dad's father--Clarence Albertson--is buried there. He doesn't have a headstone, just the marker that the mortuary put down.

The name of the cemetery is Pleasant Hill Cemetery. I think it is also known as the "Mason's Cemetery."

On the way back to Burley, we stopped at Gary and Vicki Swan's grave in the View Cemetery and put flowers there.

The sun set on a very enjoyable and nostalgic day of remembering our loved ones who have gone before us.

About Us

Walt was born in Wendell, Idaho,and has lived in Idaho 64 of his 83 years. Eileen was born in the Twin Falls Idaho Hospital going home to Wendell from there, and have lived in Idaho for 56 of my 78 years. Married June 14, 1961 in Salt Lake Temple. We thank our children and grandchildren for the wonderful 50th Wedding Anniversary Celebration they hosted for us in June 2011. We went on a Mediterranean cruise (thanks again to our children) to celebrate our 50th--a year early to be with D. Kelly Ogden as he lectured "In the Footsteps of Paul the Apostle." We have lived in St. Louis,MO, Minneapolis,MN; Talihina,OK; Burley,IDAHO 42 years, 3 years in Merida, Mexico;2 years in Guatemala City, Guatemala; 18 mos in Argentina,Oct 2008 to Mar 2010; and 3 years as temple president and matron of the new (dedicated Aug 21, 2011) San Salvador El Salvador Temple for--July 2011 to Nov 1, 2014. We love and adore each other, our 7 children, their spouses, and our 35 grandchildren.
Walt is a physician, I was a medical secretary for PHT, then homemaker and mother.
We are staunch Republicans.